Peck, Richard (1934-2018), was an American author best known for his realistic and historical novels for young adults. Critics have praised Peck for stories that communicate with teenage readers about such sensitive subjects as rape, suicide, peer pressure, and the death of a loved one. Although most of his books deal with serious subjects, Peck won the 2001 Newbery Medal for a humorous novel, A Year Down Yonder (2000). The Newbery Medal is awarded annually for the best children’s book by an American.
Peck set A Year Down Yonder in 1937, during the worldwide economic slump known as the Great Depression. The central characters are 15-year-old Mary Alice and her gruff, good-hearted grandmother. Mary Alice, who lives in Chicago, is sent to live with her Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois for a year. The novel recounts the adventures shared by the two characters and Mary Alice’s growing affection for the old woman. Peck also features Grandma Dowdel in A Season of Gifts (2009). A Long Way from Chicago (1998) is a collection of related stories about Mary Alice, her brother Joey, and Grandma Dowdel that cover the years from 1929 to 1942.
Among Peck’s serious novels for young adults is Are You in the House Alone? (1976), a story of a rape and subsequent events as told by the victim. Father Figure (1978) tells about how two teenage brothers deal with their mother’s suicide after their father had deserted the family years earlier. Close Enough to Touch (1981) describes how a boy learns to love again after his girlfriend dies. Remembering the Good Times (1985) is about teenage suicide. The Last Safe Place on Earth (1995) is a story about parents who want to censor books in the school library. The River Between Us (2003) is set in southern Illinois at the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861 and deals with family secrets. The humorous novel The Teacher’s Funeral (2004), set in rural Indiana in 1904, tells about a brother and a sister. The nostalgic novel On the Wings of Heroes (2007) is an account of life in a Midwestern town just before and after the United States entered World War II in 1941. In the witty novel The Best Man (2016), a 12-year-old boy recounts the last six years of his life, framed by two weddings.
Peck also wrote mystery, horror, and supernatural novels for young adults, such as Three Quarters Dead (2010). He created a popular young heroine named Blossom Culp in a series of comic fantasy novels, beginning with The Ghost Belonged to Me (1975). Secrets at Sea (2011) is a charming fantasy about a family of mice sailing to Europe during the 1800’s. A sequel, The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail (2013), is a comic adventure story set in London. Peck also wrote novels for adults and an autobiography, Anonymously Yours (1991).
Richard Wayne Peck was born on April 5, 1934, in Decatur, Illinois. He earned a B.A. degree from DePauw University in 1956 and an M.A. from Southern Illinois University in 1959. He worked as a high school English teacher and textbook editor from 1958 until he became a full-time writer in 1971. Peck died on May 23, 2018.
